“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8

There is a simple fact that every believer must acknowledge in their walk with Christ, and that is this, you and I are not God. Nor are we little gods. Nor do we have the same power or ability to think and act and create like God. Even more so, neither do our words have the same power as Gods words. The simple fact is, man is a creation of God, made a little above the angels itself, without the ability nor power to imitate God in action or in deeds, or in this case – words. The truth is, our words are not on the same level as God almighty and have virtually no power within themselves. In other words, when we speak nothing happens, but when God speaks everything happens, because he’s God and we’re not.

Yet there is a teaching which has gained prominence within the Charismatic/Pentecostal circles by suggesting that not only are we little gods, not only can we duplicate what God can do, we can equally speak things as a god and see those words literally transform nothing into something. It is called Positive Affirmation, or what is generally referred to by some as the power within the tongue. The belief is very simple, and very dangerous, but it goes something like this; A believer has a special need (money, health, career change, relationship, etc.) and they desire this with great fervor, but they don’t know how to bring it to pass. The answer? Simply speak it into existence. Sounds far fetched right? Yet if the truth be told, there are millions of Christians within the Charismatic/Pentecostal circles who have bought into this lie that says if one desires to change their circumstances in life, all one has to do is simply speak it into being and it will come. The problem is that it never works.

Teachers such as Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Jesse Duplantis and a boatload of others, have made millions of dollars in book sales all in trying to convince an unsuspecting Christian that they have the power within themselves to speak something out of nothing and gain whatever they want. The problem is, A) It’s not scriptural, and B) It’s not possible. To be clear, Jesus told us that if we followed him, that we too could (and would) perform miracles – but as the Spirit leads. The fact remains that while the gifts of the Holy Spirit are valid today (1 Corinthians chapter 12), the ability to just speak something is not only foolish, or unscriptural, it was never taught by the early church leaders, or Christ himself.

Believe it or not, the Positive Confession movement has no actual basis within the early church, nor was it rooted at all within modern or even past Christian teachings, it literally came from the occult world and went by another title, The Law of Attraction. This occult method is standard 101 information for anyone involved in the secret world of witchcraft and sorcery. The idea is simple, whatever you are attracted to, or desire, all you have to do is channel the strong desire within your mind to receive it, and by doing so, you can have it. This method has been utilized for hundreds, if not thousands of years by those who perform the dark arts of gaining whatever they desire. The problem with the confession, speaking it into existence, law of attraction is, it’s tapping into the spiritual realm, and certainly not what is of God.

It is amazing that when we examine the teachings and ideas promoted by a select few who claim to receive a revelation from God that is never based on the word of God, we begin to see its true source – Satan. Yet this is exactly the facts as it relates to the Positive Confession movement that has unfortunately polluted the church world today. From its roots from the early druids and pagans, the teaching of the Law of Attraction remains to this day the tool by which some within the modern church world has cleverly utilized which would deceive many by its false teachings. One would think that if they understood that ours is not to simply call forth everything into being that it would become true, nor by simply suggesting that if one merely spoke something by faith that it would happen. The truth is, God desires us to pray his will for whatever we need, not ours. This is the problem of self, it does not desire to submit to God’s perfect plan, but instead, rely on self and self desires (money, material things) to gain something simply by declaring it so. It’s all a clever ruse to blind the believer to a belief that he or she is able to do things on a thought, or word, and not rely on God’s word.

So how did this particular teaching come into the church today?

His name was E.W. Kenyon. Kenyon was born on April 25, 1867. He was introduced to the faith from the Methodist movement of that particular time. It was there he was introduced to the early teachings of the New Thought movement, and subsequently became aware of this new teaching which stated that if one speaks something, one will receive something, all by faith. Kenyon would go on to become affiliated with the growing Pentecostal movement which was happening in that time, the re-birth of the advent of the Pentecost in the book of Acts, and would find himself learning as well as teaching at the Emerson School. From the early writings of E.W. Kenyon, his works would include many gleanings from the occult world, new age spiritualism, and the Law of Attraction that would be taken and used by later generations, namely one Kenneth Hagin, who equally was influenced by Kenyon’s claims of Positive Affirmations.

Yet even though Kenyon was a contributor to what we now call “Positive Talk”, it has literally taken on a life of its own. But not just by the church world, even today, New Age teachers such as Oprah Winfrey, Eckhart Tolle, Rhonda Byrne (author of The Secret), as well as many more. This Law of Attraction, the ability to think and then say something into reality is not a product of man, far from it. The teaching itself dates back to one individual who said to himself “I shall be like the most high. I will place my throne above his.” – Satan. It was Satan who was the originator of Positive Confession, and it was Satan who went into the garden and said to Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”(Genesis 3:1) For when Eve reminded Satan of what God said not to do, it as Satan who then presented a different way of thinking, “You surely will not die.”“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)

Satan presented a positive affirmation, which was literally the foundation to Law of Attraction with Eve. Satan simply said, ignore what God says, confess that you shall have great wisdom and great understanding and I will not die. In other words, think it, say it and believe it and it will come to you. The reality is, Eve did receive understanding, but it was the understanding of what God strictly forbid, and thus, because of Adam, sin entered into the world. Thus, the Law of Attraction, power of the tongue to say something into existence is rooted directly from pride. It is sin.

If we could simply say things into reality, then why is there great trouble in the world? If we can simply speak something into being, then why is there hunger? Or war? Or death and disease? If there is power in our tongue, then why did Paul, the great Apostle who faced many a hardship pray three times that God would remove the thorn in his side, but God said “NO!”, but that his grace was sufficient for him? (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)

The fact is this, our authority is limited to what Christ has given to us in his word because of the cross, and nothing more. Yes, we have the power (authority) to claim some spiritual matters as it relates to our faith, but it must always be found consistent with the word of God, it can never go beyond God’s word. If we pray his will, then we will find our will and prayers will be aligned perfectly, even if some things we confess or pray for do not come, sometimes God simply says “No” and we must learn to trust him regardless, for he knows better than we.

Jesus only gives us authority to do what he commissioned us to do – preach the gospel, disciple the nations, heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. He does not give us ALL authority. Nor does he give us the power to speak things into being simply because we want it or desire it, that is the lure of the garden and the tree itself that Satan continues to tempt fallen man with, even Christians, that if we think it and say it, we can have it. But God says otherwise. Don’t fall for this trap, but instead trust God, pray with faith with what he has faithfully given to us, the cross, and believe for those things which he desires, that souls be saved. Everything else will come, or not come based on God’s determination and plan, not by our words.